Congrats to Our Catechumens & Candidates
Congratulations to our Catechumens and Candidates who participated in the Rite of Election last Sunday at Epiphany Cathedral. It was inspiring to gather with nearly 500 men and women from around the Diocese who are also on a path of conversion, drawn to full communion with Jesus Christ in the Catholic Church.
Catechumens are not yet baptized, and at Easter will receive all three Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Eucharist.
Candidates are already baptized into other Christian communities, and are now called by the Lord to full communion with the Catholic Church and a full sacramental life. Above all, the desire for the Eucharist draws men and women to take up this challenging journey.
Each person has a unique story of how God is drawing them to pursue this path, which involves a dramatic change in their way of life. And out of these many stories, one community of faith is formed by the one Spirit of God, through faith in our one Lord, Jesus Christ, in whom we become one family calling God our Father.
The Rite of Election makes visible what St. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him” (Ephesians 1:3-4).
God the Father chose us in Christ to be his adopted daughters and sons in Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God. In today’s Gospel, the voice of the Father is heard by Peter, James and John on the mount of the Transfiguration: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 17:5).
Our catechumens and candidates serve as powerful witnesses that the Father’s voice continues to echo, calling us to listen to the beloved Son.
Pray for these brothers and sisters of ours, that the Lord give them strength to overcome any obstacles, doubts or fears along the way. Let us pray for one another, that through this Lenten journey, we might all be strengthened in our Baptismal dignity and vocation. May the whole Church, renewed by the discipline of Lent, be a convincing sign of God’s loving call and choice, that all should come to know Jesus Christ, the beloved Son, and listening to him.
